Jay and the
Corporate Takeover
One week ago
“You’re
joking?”
“I wish I was,”
Sarah Holderness-Carter said as she looked at Sarah and Bart playing on the
floor, “but I’m not.”
“But I know
Amanda Welsh,” Mark Williamson said as he looked at the photos on the low
table. “She’s as straight as straight
can be – Welsh Investments is one of my clients after all.”
“We know,”
Sarah said quietly, “which is why Brian was concerned when they came up in an
investigation into money laundering.
Whoever is using them covers their racks very well – but it does seem to
be the main route they are using.”
“Do we want to
know what sort of people,” his wife Yvonne said as she sat back and crossed her
legs.
“Not unless you
want to – bur Brian asked me to contact you when I was over, and ask for your -
unique assistance.”
“There is one
problem,” Mark said quietly, “Amanda tends to work from home unless she has to
go into the office – I know she gathers her senior staff there once a week.”
“When?”
“Usually a
Friday afternoon – why?”
Sarah looked at
them both and took a drink from her mug of coffee. “Brian’s superiors are planning to move on
the people concerned this Saturday morning UK time – we need you to visit them
on the Friday and do what we need done while extracting some funds.”
“I know for a
fact the staff tend to bring some of their family with them – they have a big
meal together for the Sabbath.”
Sarah nodded as
she took a file from her large bag and handed it to them. “Senior staff, and those likely to come with
them. Can you do this?”
Mark and Yvonne
looked at each other, before Mark stood up and walked to a cabinet. Unlocking a drawer, he took out a mobile
phone and dialled a number.
“This is Jay
Edwards,” he said, using a soft North of England accent instead of his West
Country burr, “listen carefully…”
Friday
1 pm
Amanda Welsh
looked across the desk of her office, and said “all right Piper – everything is
ready for our meeting at three?”
Piper Laurie
nodded as she looked at her tablet. The 24-year-old
had her blonde hair neatly cut, and was wearing a pale cream trouser suit with
a white blouse under the jacket, as well as white heels. “The agenda has been posted to everyone, so
we just need to wait for the arrivals.”
Amanda nodded as
she sat back. At 40 years old, she was
young to be the CEO of a successful hedge fund management firm, but she had
worked hard to get where she was. Unlike
Piper, she had long chestnut brown hair, and was wearing a dark grey trouser
suit with a cream blouse underneath. The
Jimmy Choo black shoes sat comfortably on her feet.
“Good – would
you mind going to get some coffee – and check the girls are all right?”
“Got it,” Piper
said as she stood up and walked out of the office, then along the corridor and
looked in the front room.
“Megan, April –
do you want anything?”
“No thanks,”
Megan Welsh said as she looked over from where she and her twin sister were
sitting playing a game on the PlayStation.
The girls were eleven years old, both with long hair – Megan had blonde
hair, April slightly darker brown hair.
While Megan was wearing a short jacket over a grey top, blue denim
shorts and trainers, April was wearing a white sweatshirt and denim jeans with
the ankle cuffs turned up, as well as leopard print sandshoes.
“Okay then,”
Piper said as she headed to the kitchen, and switched on the coffee
machine. Humming to herself, she was
surprised to hear the gate intercom buzz.
Walking over, she pressed the button and said “Yes?”
“Delivery of
office supplies for Welsh Investments?”
“Oh – it’s
early,” Piper said as she pressed the button that opened the gate, “come on
up.” She then walked to the front door
and opened it, saying “just put the boxes there please.”
“Very kind of
you Piper – slowly walk back, and raise your hands in the air.”
Piper stared at
the man who had spoken in a soft Geordie accent and walked back, as he walked
in, accompanied by a woman and six more men.
All were identically dressed – blue boiler suits, black worker’s boots,
black gloves and black balaclavas that covered their heads, only their eyes and
mouths visible.
“Who… What…”
“Please, remain
calm,” the masked man said as he looked round.
“Where is your boss and her family?”
“In her office…
In the front room… Oh god…”
He turned and
looked at the men who had come in. “Two
of you – go and invite Amanda Welsh to join us, two search the house, make sure
nobody else is here. The other two – keep
watch, front and back. We have a slim
window of opportunity. As for you,” he
said as he looked at Piper, “turn round, and put your hands behind your back.”
The young woman
slowly did as he was asked, while the woman took from her pocket a length of
white cord and quickly bound her wrists together. “Now
then,” the man said, “shall we?”
Megan and April
looked up as the door to the room opened – and then stared at the masked man
and woman who came in with April.
“Who are you?”
“Ye mus be
April ahn Megan,” the masked woman said in a broad Scottish accent, “Mah name
is Mrs McPhee, ahn this is my friend Jay.”
Piper quickly turned and looked at the masked man, as the woman
continued “noo, we’re gonna be here fer a while, ahn tha means yer gonna hae
tae be kept quiet ahn in here - fer noo.”
Megan and April
looked at each other, before April said “I’m sorry – what did you just say?”
Jay shook his
head as he said “My friend means we are going to be staying today, and that we
need to make sure you cannot raise the alarm.”
“What on earth
is going on here?”
Jay turned and
smiled as Amanda was pushed into the room by the two masked men.
“Nobody else in
the house,” a third man said.
“Good – spread
out, search and keep watch.”
“Piper – who is
this, and what is going on?”
“I’m sorry
Amanda – they took me by surprise, forced their way in, tied my wrists behind
my back…”
Amanda looked
at the masked man as he said “Hello Amanda – my name is Jay Edwards, my friend
Mrs McPhee.”
“Jay… Jay Edwards?”
Amanda looked round the room as one of the masked men placed a large
canvas bag on the floor. “Oh my god – so
this is a robbery?”
“Indeed – so we
require the full cooperation of all of you.”
Amanda nodded – for some reason, she felt calm, but she said “girls,
Piper – I can imagine you are scared, but if you do what they say, you’ll be
fine.”
“But they want
to tie us up, Mum,” Megan said.
“I know – and I
know it sounds scary – but… Look, if we
are going to be tied up, then tie my hands behind my back first, so they know
there is nothing to be scared of.”
Jay nodded as
he opened the bag, and took a length of white rope from it, before he took
Amanda’s hands behind her back and used the cord to lash her wrists together.
“Girls,” Amanda
said as she looked at them, “did I ever tell you I had once been kidnapped?” Both girls looked at her, wide-eyed as they
shook their heads, before Amanda said “I was your age when I was snatched on my
way home from school. I was scared as
well – they tied my hands and feet, used a scarf to keep me quiet, and kept me
in a cellar until your grandfather paid the ransom. I was
released – and the police caught up with my kidnappers – but somehow, I don’t
feel scared this time. Do you?”
The twin girls
shook their heads as Mrs McPhee took two lengths of cord from the bag. “Ah see yer playing a game – well, ye can
keep playing, but I need tae bind yer wrists together first – so please hold
them oot in front of yerselfs.”
“It’s all right
girls – do what she says,” Amanda whispered as Megan and April looked at each
other, before they held their hands out, watching as Mrs McPhee used lengths of
white cord to bind their wrists tightly together.
“Be brave,”
Amanda said as she was sat down, Jay kneeling to bind her ankles as
Piper was made
to sit down by one of the masked men, watching as her own ankles were crossed
and bound.
“Och, they’re
brave lassies – yer no afraid, are ye,” Mrs McPhee said, the twins shaking
their heads as she secured their ankles together, as well as their legs below
their knees. They looked over as their
mother and Piper also had their legs secured below their knees, before a length
of silver tape was pressed over Piper’s lips.
“Girls,”
~Amanda said, “I think they are going to put some tape over your mouth as
well. If you need the toilet, grunt
three times, all right?”
“Guid idea,”
Mrs McPhee said as she tape gagged the girls, and then gave them back their
controllers as they bent their legs and continued with their game.
“Ah,” Jay said
as they heard a buzzer, “Your first board member. Why don’t we invite them to join you?”
“But they’re
girls!”
“OH stop
worrying Albie – you don’t need to be scared of them,” Anne Harper said as she
drove through the fates. The forty-two-year-old
Chief financial Officer had long brown hair, and was wearing a brown pinstripe
jacket and pants with a dusky pink blouse.
Albie, her nine-year-old son, was sitting in the back of her Daimler, a
black beanie on his burl brown hair, a checked jacket on over a black t-shirt,
jeans and black trainers.
“But the others
won’t be here yet?”
“Oh they’ll be
here soon, I’m sure,” Anne said as they pulled up outside the house and got
out, the heels of Anne’s shoes clicking on the concrete. Both of them walked towards the front door as
it was opened – and then they both stopped on the inside as they saw the masked
man and woman, hearing the door close behind them.
“Welcome, Anne,
Albie,” the masked man said, “to a special meeting and visit. My name is Jay Edwards.”
Anne’s face
blanched as the woman said “ahn ah’m Mrs McPhee. Cum here Albie, and hold yer hands oot fer
me.” The young boy walked forward, wondering
why he wasn’t scared, but he held his hands out and watched as Mrs McPhee bound
his wrists together with rope.
“Where are
Amanda and the others?”
“In here Anne,”
she heard her boss all out, “you’d better come and join us.”
As they walked
in, Albie’s eyes opened wide as he saw Megan and April on the couch, silver
tape over their mouths as they played a game.
“Hhlbhee,
whnnhplh?”
“Why not,”
Albie said quietly as he walked over…
2.30 pm
“I don’t get it
– why did Mrs Welsh ask me to come with you Mum?”
“I think you’ll
like the reason why,” Mary Deans said as they drove along the road. She was the head of personnel, a forty-eight-year-old
woman with short strawberry blonde hair, wearing a dark blue blazer and skirt
with a white blouse and a black top under her blouse. Sitting in the passenger seat was her twenty-one-year-old
daughter Zoe, who was wearing a white linen jacket and pants with a pale blue
blouse.
“Oh – is that
Orlagh in front of us?”
“Looks like it,
Zoe,” Mary said as she indicated and then drove through the gates of the Welsh
home after the Mercedes. As both cars
came to a halt, a tall, thin woman got out of the car and looked round, her
hair swept back in a ponytail. She had on
a dark pant suit and white blouse.
“Hey Orlagh,”
Mary said as she also got out, “ready for this?”
“Nope,” Orlagh
Connaught said as the rear doors of her car opened, and her twelve-year-old
twin sons got out. Craig had light brown
hair, and had a blue jumper on over a white shirt which was peeking out from
below the jumper. A blur tie was tied
round his neck, and he was also wearing light grey pants and white shoes. Carl had darker hair, and had on a cream
blazer and waistcoat over a blue shirt and a white t-shirt, white jeans with a
brown leather belt and black trainers.
“Your boys out
to impress the tins today,” Zoe asked as she got out.
“I think so –
the door’s open, let’s go in and get this over with.”
“I wonder what
they’re wearing,” Carl whispered to Craig as they walked in – and then slowly
raised their hands as they saw the masked men inside.
“What the…”
“Ladies,” all
three of them heard Amanda call out, “we’re meeting in the dining room. You’d better come and join us.”
“Ahn as fer ye
twa,” a masked woman said as she looked out from the front room, “cum in here?”
“Mum?”
“Do as they
say,” Orlagh said quietly as she felt someone pull her hands behind her back,
and then the rope as it was used to hold her wrists together. Carl and Craig nodded as they walked in, and
she heard Craig say “oh…” before she was walked to the dining room, Mary and
Zoe coming with her after their hands were secured behind their backs as well.
“Amanda, what’s
going on,” Mary said as they walked in and saw Amanda sitting in one of the
chairs, Piper and Anne sitting either side of them with silver tape over their
mouths.
“Well, put it
this way – ladies, meet Jay Edwards.”
“Jay… Oh f…”
“Language,” Jay
said with a smile to Zoe as the three new arrivals were sat down, the masked
men kneeling and using rope to secure their ankles together.
“What’s going
to happen to my boys?”
“A revelation,
I suspect – but they and you will be unharmed so long as you do what we
say. And for now, that means remaining
in here,” Jay said as they heard music start to come from the front room. “Later, we will ask you to contact your
respective partners, tell them you will be staying late and not to worry about
you.”
“Because we’re hostages
here?”
“Precisely,
Orlagh – it is good to see an executive secretary grasp the situation so
clearly…”
3.30 pm
“So I have to
be the babysitter? Mum, you know I am
going out later!”
“I know – but
it’s only for a couple of hours,” Michelle Baines said as they drove up to the
house. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Joanne
sighed as she looked at eight-year-old Nicola, who just stuck her tongue out
and smiled. The blonde-haired girl was
wearing a black leather jacket over a pink dress, and purple Doc Marten boots,
her long brown hair in two pigtails.
Michelle shook
her head as she looked in the rear-view mirror at her oldest daughter. Joanne had been as cute once, but now she was
wearing a black leather jacket over a roll neck sweater, black leggings which
were leatherette on the front and suede at the back, and high heeled knee
length black leather boots. She herself
was fifty now, and wearing white blouse and grey trousers.
“Well, let’s
get this over with,” she said as they parked, and then walked to the front door
as it opened – only to see the masked and armed man as one looked out from the dining
room.
“Michelle
Baines? This way please – your daughters
can go in the front room.”
Joanne and
Nicola looked at each other before they walked in, Joanne whispering something
as they saw the three boy and two girls, their wrists tied together in front of
them and down to the rope between their legs, their ankles tied and silver tape
over their mouths as a masked woman looked over.
“Wul hallo
thair – ah’m Mrs McPhee, ahn ye must be wee Nicola and no saw wee Joanne. I need you, Joanne, tae put yer hands behind
yer back, ahn you Nicola to put yer hands oot in front o yerself.”
“Why?”
“So ye can be
like the offers – Joanne is a wee bit older so she gets sumfin else,” the
masked woman said, Nicola nodding as she slowly held her hands out, while
Joanne felt one of the masked men securing her wrists together behind her back.
She was then
made to sit in an armchair as Nicola was sat next to Megan and April, watching
as Mrs McPhee secured her ankles together, then her legs below her knees before
her wrists were secured to them.
“Hlhhhnhchlhhe.”
She looked at Albie,
who was sitting on the floor with Craig and carl, and nodded before her own
mother was covered with silver tape.
“Noo then,” Mrs
McPhee said as Joanne was tape gagged, her ankles and legs secured, “back tae
the music…”
4 pm
“She just wants
to thank you for your part in the adverts,” Isabel MacLean said as she drove to
the Welsh house, looking at her younger sister Shona as she did so. While she was dressed for a business meeting,
in a black jacket and skirt with a grey blouse underneath, Shona had on a grey
fur gilet over a grey fleece, and blue jeans with the legs tucked into knee
length black leather boots.
“Well, all
right,” Shona said quietly as she turned and looked at her eight-year-old
daughter. America was wearing a pale
pink fur-like gilet over a silver top, gold leggings and gold Chelsea boots.
“She takes
after you, doesn’t she?”
Shona nodded as
Isabel pulled up, and the three of them walked to the house. The door was open, so they all waked in,
stopping in their tracks as they heard a masked man say “ah, our final arrivals
– Mrs McPhee?”
“Aye, Jay?”
A masked woman
came out as the man said “please take America to join the others. Isabel, if you and your sister will come with
me?”
“What’s going
on,” Shona whispered as they two women were escorted into the dining room – and
then saw the board of Welsh Investments sitting round the table, all bound and
gagged.
“Hmshrrheehshbel,”
Amanda mumbled as Isabel felt her hands been taken behind her back.
“A robbery…
Jay…. Jay Edwards?”
“You’ve heard
of him,” Shona said as she looked at Isabel.
“Oh yes,”
Isabel said quietly, “and this means we’re going to be here a while.”
“Indeed – untie
Zoe please.”
One of the men
untied Zoe as Jay said “take a seat Isabel.
Shona, first – amazing work on that campaign. Second, one of my men is going to take you
and Zoe to the kitchen.”
“Why?”
“To cook supper
for everyone,” Jay said with a smile, “some buffet food to eat in the front
room.”
Shona shook her
head as the tape was removed from Zoe’s mouth.
“I know,” she said as she took Shona by the arm, “but somehow, I know
they’re not going to really hurt us… I
want to see the children before we go in.”
“Of course –
take them,” Jay said as two of the masked men escorted them out, and they
looked in the front room.
“Hmhhlrhgtmhm,”
America said through the silver tape covering her mouth as she sat with the
other three girls, Joanne nodding as she twisted round in the armchair.
“Okay – be
brave,” Shona said as they made their way to the kitchen…
7 pm
“I am really
sorry this is happening to all of you,” Amanda said as they sat in the
armchairs and on the couch in the main room, the remains of the buffet in front
of them.
“We’ll be home
late tonight,” Isabel said quietly, “love you.”
Ending the call, she handed her mobile phone back to the masked man as
Jay said “everyone assured their loved ones?
Good – now, we’re going to take the four girls upstairs first, and get
them ready for the evening. Gentlemen –
make sure nobody raises the alarm?”
“We won’t,”
Amanda said quietly, the other adults nodding as Mrs McPhee said “Richt –
Megan, April, Nicola, America, cum wi me ahn mah friends.”
“See you later
Mum,” Megan said as the four young girls walked out of the room, one man
following with a large canvas bag as they went to the twin’s bedroom.
“Cahn ah trust
ye ahl tae get changed ahn no call fer help?”
April nodded as
they went into the room, America looking at the others as she said “is it wrong
I find this exciting?”
“I think we all
do – and Craig a nd Carl sure looked cute tied up like that,” Megan said
quietly.
“So did Albie?”
All three
looked at Nicola before they laughed, and then saw the clothes on the bed.
“Ready?”
“We are, Mrs
McPhee,” Megan said as the two masked people came into the bedroom. Megan had changed into a grey vest top and
bottoms, wile April was wearing a pink t-shirt with her leggings. Nicola had on a pair of white pyjamas with a pink
floral print, and finally America was wearing a peach-coloured t-shirt and grey
bottoms.
“So what re we
going to do,” she asked as she saw the man open the bag, and take out ropes.
“Ah need ye ahl
tae cross yer wrists in fhron o yerselfs,” Mrs McPhee said, watching as they
did so. April looked at the four
sleeping bags on the floor, a pillow at the head of each one, and said “so
we’ll be in the bags?”
“Aye,” Mrs
McPhee said as she accepted a length of rope, and tied America’s wrists
together in front of herself. She then
walked down the line, securing the wrists of each girl together, before she
took longer ropes and used them to make sure heir arms stayed by their sides,
taking the rope round their upper arms and their stomachs, and cinching the bands
between their arms and their bodies as well.
“This is
tight,” Nicola said as she wriggled round – and then she saw the way Mrs McPhee
was compressing a sponge ball in her gloved hand.
“Time tae be
quiet,” she said as she pushed the sponge ball into Megan’s mouth, waiting
until she closed her lips before the man pressed a length of white tape down
over her mouth. All four girls were soon
gagged before they were helped to lie down on the open sleeping bags, Mrs
McPhee securing their ankles and then their legs below their knees before the
man zipped up the sleeping bags, trapping them inside.
With the help
of the man, Mrs McPhee then wound silver tape round each of the girls in their
bags, before she opened a laptop and started a streaming of Enchanted.
“Enjoy,
lassies,” she said, all four girls nodding as they left the room, the man
carrying the large bag as they saw Albie, Carl and craig walk up with Jay.
“Girls all
settled? Excellent – boys, you go into
this room and change.”
As they went
into another bedroom, Jay said “bring Zoe and Joanne up, and let them get
changed before you secure them next.
Then I can take care of business with Amanda.”
Mrs McPhee
nodded as se walked down the stairs, and Jay went into the room with the other
masked man. Albie was pulling a dark
blue t-shirt on over his head, while Craig and Carl were pulling on blue and
red checked bottoms. As Albie pulled on
a second pair of blue checked bottoms, Carl pulled a red t-shirt over his head,
and Craig a grey one.
“Good,” Jay
said with a smile as he took some ropes from the bag. “Now, take the sports socks that are on your
bad, pull them up your arms – and then turn round, with your hands behind your
back.”
“So we’re going
to be like the others?”
“In a way,” Jay
said as he crossed Carl’s wrists behind his back, and secured his wrists
tightly together with rope, before he took a longer length and passed it round
his upper body, pulling each band tight round his stomach and his upper arms so
that they were locked against his body.
After tying the ends off behind him, he said “sit with your back against
the headboard of the bed.” Craig and
Albie watched as Carl sat himself on the bed, the masked man starting to tie
his ankles together as Carl felt the rope round his own wrists.
One by one they
sat on the bed, watching as each of them had their ankles bound tightly
together, and then their legs below their knees, before Jay and his friend
helped hem all to lie on their backs, and secured their bound ankles to the
foot of the bed. Jay then pushed a compressed
sponge ball into their mouths, before covering their mouths with the white
tape.
“Check them and
the girls every fifteen minutes,” Jay said to his partner, the man nodding as
he left the room. Mrs McPhee was waiting outside the bathroom, nodding as Zoe
and Joanne came out. Zoe was wearing a
pale blue pyjama top and shorts, with a bike pattern printed on the fabric,
while Joanne had on a vest top and shorts of the same design.
“Guid – hold
yer hahns oot,” Mrs McPhee said as she gave them each a half sponge to hold,
each girl making a fist with their hands before Mrs McPhee covered their fist
with silver tape. She then pulled the
white socks up over their hands, before taping the ends to their arms with the
white tape.
“We’re not
going anywhere,” Zoe said.
“No – the
kids?”
“Safe and
secure,” Jay said, “take them to their room and make sure they stay
there.” He then walked down the stairs
and into the front room. The other women
were sitting there, their wrists taped together behind their backs as they
looked at him.
“Okay – the
younger generation are safe now. Two of
you – take Michelle and Shona up and allow them to change, then bring them back
down. Amanda – I need you to accompany
me to your office. We have some business
to transact.”
“Good luck,”
Amanda said as Jay took her by the arm and they walked back to her office. Untying her wrists, Jay said “sit down and
log into your company systems.”
“I guess I
should thank you for not really hurting nay of us,” the older woman said
quietly as she logged in. “Now what?”
“Plug this in,”
Jay said as he held out a USB stick, “and run the program it tells you to run.”
Amanda nodded
as she complied, and then said “that’s it?
How many of us – eight adults, seven kids, held hostage for this?”
“Well, not just
this,” Jay said with a smile, “but you will understand later. Trust me on this.” Looking at the screen, he smiled as he said
“once this is done, I will take you to get changed – and then we make the rest
of you secure.”
9.30 pm
As Amanda came
out of her bedroom, she was wearing a pair of blue striped pyjamas with short
sleeves.
“I want to see
whoever is up here already,” she said as she held the sponges Jay gave her in
her hands, and felt the tape on her skin as he covered them with silver tape.
“Of course,”
Jay said as he pulled the white socks up and then taped the cuffs to her arms,
and then turned her round, using thin white rope to secure her wrists together
behind her back.
“Tell me – tell
me you did not do this to my daughters,” she gasped as the rope was pulled
tight round her upper body, forcing her arms against her sides as the rope went
round above and below her chest. Jay
then fed the rope under one arm, took it up and around the back of her neck,
and then under her other arm.
“No – come and
I will show you,” Jay said as he walked her to the bedroom door of the twins
and opened it, Amanda looking in and seeing the four girls asleep in their
bags, the white tape over their mouths.
They then looked in the next room as she saw the three boys on the bed,
and then the third room where Zoe and Joanne were lying on their sides, tightly
bound and with white tape over their mouths, their cheeks puffed out.
“Thank you,”
she said quietly as they walked back down the stairs to join the others in the
front room. Piper, Anne and Oprah were
all also wearing short sleeved pyjamas – Piper in a dark blue pair, Anne in a lime-coloured
pair, and Michelle in a light grey pair.
As for Isabel and Shona, they were wearing sleeveless nightdresses,
Isabel in blue and Shona in pink. All of
them had their hands behind their backs, and bands of white rope framing their
chests, sinched in the same way as Amanda.
“The kids?”
“All asleep and
safe – so are Zoe and Joanne,” Amanda said as she looked at them. “Look, in case I don’t get to say anything
else – thank you all for making sure nobody got hurt.”
“We had a
choice?”
“There is
always a choice, dear lady,” Jay said with a smile, “but you all made the
correct one. For now, it is time you
were all made quiet – one by one, open your mouths.”
“Good luck,”
Piper said as one by one a compressed sponge was pushed into their mouths, and
then the white tape pressed down over their lips, the material forming to the
contours of their faces.
“Now, I believe
the sisters should be together – take them upstairs,” Jay said as Isabel and
Shona were taken out of the room, the others watching before they saw Jay’s
associates taking rope and starting to bind their ankles together.
They then
secured their legs below their knees, the ropes cinched at each binding between
their legs, before one by one they were helped to lie on their stomachs on the
floor, their ankles pulled back and secured to their chest ropes as Jay and Mrs
McPhee looked on.
The main light
was turned off, the four women looking at each other as the room was plunged
into darkness…
5 am
“Shhnhhh?”
Shona slowly
opened her eyes to look at Isabel, her sister nodding as they lay on their
sides facing each other. They were both
on a double bed, but they had not been hogtied.
“Whtthmhshht?”
“Dhnthknhh –
chnuhhrhnefhn?”
Shona listened
for a moment, and then shook her head as she said “Whtddhwhdh?”
“Thrrhhndshthnhhp.”
She nodded as
she rolled over and, with some effort, sat herself up, and waited until Isabel
did the same. Slowly, they pushed
themselves off the bed and managed to stand, before Isabel jumped round and
they made their way slowly to the room door.
Isabel watched
as Shona managed to grab the round knob between her wrists and slowly turn it,
the door swinging in before they both jumped down the corridor. Looking in one room, they saw Zoe and Joanne
still asleep, before they checked the next room.
The boys were twisting
in their sleep, before they looked in on the girls. America looked over and nodded as she
wriggled round.
“Uhhlrht,”
Shona mumbled, America nodding as the tape crinkled on the sleeping bag. Shona nodded in reply and looked at Isabel.
“Thhhdhrfhns.”
“Hndhtshnhlhghd,”
Isabel said as she saw the handset on a low table – and then there was a
pounding on the door.
“Hsshshthhttt…”
“Police,” a
voice called out and then it said “oh hell – there’s been a robbery here, we
have some bound and gagged women in here.”
“CHHMHMHPSHTTHRSSSS!”
Shona looked
over as Isabel shouted, and a group of police officers came up the stairs. “Damn – we have multiple hostages up here,”
one officer said as he looked in the rooms…
10 am
“There was a
dawn raid at the Welsh mansion,” Sarah said as she sat with Yvonne and
Mark. “Quite a situation they found.”
“But we played
our part?”
“You played
your part…”
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